Browse Items (4433 total)

A conversation on race at the Winter Park Woman's Club on April 24, 2018.
The Truth and Justice Project of Orange County, Florida, (TJP) is a volunteer-based organization that engages with the community to promote education concerning the truth of…

Josie Lemon Allen leads a discussion about the Ocoee Massacre at the Winter Park Woman's Club on April 24, 2018.
The Truth and Justice Project of Orange County, Florida, (TJP) is a volunteer-based organization that engages with the community to…

Rachel Allen and Josie Lemon Allen speak at the Winter Park Community Center, Winter Park, Florida. The topic of the discussion was "Ocoee and Beyond".
The Truth and Justice Project of Orange County, Florida, (TJP) is a volunteer-based organization…

Soil collection near the West Orange Girls Club in Ocoee, Florida, on September 8, 2018. Featured in the photograph are Amy Lalanne, her unidentified daughter, Josie Lemon Allen, Sandy Cawthern and Harry Coverston. The site of the soil collection is…

Rachel Allen and her daughter, Mary Clare Allen, fill a jar of soil at the West Orange Girls Club in Ocoee, Florida, on September 8, 2018. The site of the soil collection is in the general area of where a shootout occurred between Julius "July" Perry…

Soil collection at the West Orange Girls Club in Ocoee, Florida, on September 8, 2018. Featured in the photograph are Mary Clare Allen, Valada Flewellyn, Connor Allen, Ida Law, Joy Wallace Dickinson and Harry Coverston. The site of the soil…

The headstone of Julius "July" Perry, surrounded by white flowers, stones, shells and a strip of stickers that read, "I VOTED."
The Truth and Justice Project of Orange County, Florida, (TJP) is a volunteer-based organization that engages with the…

Hands held together in Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida, on November 3, 2018. The site was chosen for collecting soil samples because Julius "July" Perry is buried there.
The Truth and Justice Project of Orange County, Florida, (TJP) is a…

Josie Lemon Allen and Olokunkemi Ojelofun Olamina with a jar of soil in Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida, on November 3, 2018. The text on the jar reads, "Jules Perry Ocoee, FL November 3, 1920." The site was chosen because Julius "July" Perry…

Ruth King sings to a crowd of people at Julius "July" Perry's gravesite in Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida, on November 3, 2018.
The Truth and Justice Project of Orange County, Florida, (TJP) is a volunteer-based organization that engages with…

Soil collection at Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida, on November 3, 2018. Holding hands, from left to right, is Olokunkemi Ojelofun Olamina, George Oliver, Ann Patton, Joan Erwin and Lawanda Hughley. The site was chosen because Julius "July"…

Josie Lemon Allen places soil samples from Don Dudley Park in Orlando, Florida, on October 8, 2018, into glass jars to commemorate Orange County lynching victims. Although Julius "July" Perry was not lynched in the park, the location was chosen based…

Tremaine Quinton Berryhill digs soil in Don Dudley Park in Orlando, Florida, on October 8, 2018, to commemorate Orange County lynching victims. Although Julius "July" Perry was not lynched in the park, the location was chosen based on the account…

Glass jars containing white roses are lined up in Don Dudley Park in Orlando, Florida. The jars would be filled with soil samples to commemorate victims of lynching. Although Julius "July" Perry was not lynched in the park, the location was chosen…

A planning document for a display at the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando, Florida. The exhibition, entitled "Pride, Prejudice and Protest", chronicles the history of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender community, sharing the…

A flyer for a history harvest conducted by the GLBT History Museum of Central Florida and the University of Central Florida's RICHES program on January 14, 2017. The harvest was held at The LGBT Center of Central Florida, located at 946 North Mills…

A painting by Mattie L. Starke, who was a librarian and Jones High School. The painting hangs in the Jones High School Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for…

The Jones High School Historical Society Inc. was formed in 1995 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the schools founding in 1895. The historical society opened and maintains a museum on site at Jones High School. James “Chief” Wilson and…

A graduating class at Jones High School. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland…

Jones High School in 1985. The photograph appeared in the Jones High School yearbook that year. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The…

A Jones High School classroom in 1972. The photograph appeared in the 1972 Jones High School yearbook. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans.…

An integrated class assembly at Jones High School in 1970. The photograph appeared in the Jones High School yearbook that year. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school…

Newspaper collage from the 1970 Jones High School yearbook. The articles describe a lottery in which teachers' names were drawn from a fishbowl to determine which school they would be assigned to. The county implemented this policy after the courts…

Newspaper collage from the 1970 Jones High School yearbook. The articles describe the Orange County teachers strike of 1969, in which 27 teachers stayed home in protest of the county's decision to move black students to white schools and convert…

On March 6th, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Orlando and gave a speech at Tinker Field. Appearing in the photograph at the steps of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Orlando from left to right is John Truesdell, Frank O’Neill, Mabel…

Jones High School Home Economics class in 1957. The photograph appeared in the 1957 Jones High School yearbook. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for…

Jones High School in the 1970s. A sign reads, "Welcome to Jones High School", and a school bus and several cars are parked outside. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public…

Jones High School in 1962. The aerial view of the high school was featured in the Sixteenth Annual North State Band Festival Program for the Florida Association of Band Directors. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando,…

Jones High School in 1957. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church…

Jones High School in the 1940s. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland Avenue and…

Jones High School's twelfth grade class of 1931. This was the first class to go through all 12 years at the renamed school. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for…

Jones High School students from the 1920s. Three rows of 29 male students pose in front of the school. The boys all wear hats and one holds and American flag. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School…

Jones High School's tenth grade class of 1928. Three rows of 16 children pose in front of the school with a teacher and Principal L.C. Jones. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area…

L.C. Jones, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1912-1931. When Jones became principal of what was then known as the Johnson Academy, the first area public school for African-Americans was located on the corner of Chatham Avenue…

Teachers at the Johnson Academy. Standing from left to right is Mr. Gruggie, Mrs. Douglas, Mrs. Crooms, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Hopkins. Sitting from left to right is Mrs. Proctor, Mrs. Henderson, Professor Jones, Mrs. Murrell and Mrs.…

Lorenzo Phillips, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 2003-2006. With the support of Blue Cross Blue Shield and Florida State University, Phillips helped the Medical Arts Magnet make enormous strides. Located in the…

Andrew Jenkins, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1999-2003. During his tenure, Jenkins served as President of the Orange County Association of Secondary School Principals, oversaw the establishment of the Academy of Business…

Eddie Sneed, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1991-1999. During his tenure, Sneed over the conversion of the wood shop to a technology lab, curriculum expansion and the opening of the Jones High School Historical Museum.…

Victoria Johnson, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1990-1991. During her one term, high school competency test scores rose significantly. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School…

Clara Walters, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1981-1990. During her administration, Walters expanded the Foreign Language Department, renovated the auditorium, and added a guidance suite. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone…

Henry C. Wright, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1975-1981. During his tenure, Wright expanded the curriculum and some of the school's buildings. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones…

Wilbur S. Gary, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1968-1975. During the 1969-1970 school year, the courts ordered the desegregation of all schools. Orange county teachers were randomly assigned to schools throughout the county.…

Claudius J. Manigault, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1964-1968. During his tenure, Manigault oversaw several expansions of the school and the addition of sports facilities. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood…

Cecil W. Boston, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1954-1964. Boston developed a Diversified Cooperative Training Program that allowed students to attend classes in the mornings and work in vocational jobs in the afternoons.…

Cullen Banks, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1935-1954. During his tenure, the Orange County School Board built a new school building at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue, which is the current location of the school. Located in…

A.J. Polk, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1932-1935. While he was principal, the Board of Education built Kentucky Street School, which later became Holden Street Elementary School, and students from first to sixth grade…

L.C. Jones, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1912-1931. When Jones became principal of what was then known as the Johnson Academy, the first area public school for African-Americans was located on the corner of Chatham Avenue…

The original interior of the May Museum of the Tropics in the 1950s. In the months following the photograph, several specimen began to droop and wilt in the cases due to humidity. The owner, John May, was forced to hand make new display cases out of…

A team of people guide the placement of a Hercules beetle sculpture in the 1950s. A crane lowers the sculpture in place near the May Museum of the Tropics at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. The large beetle sculpture served as an advertisement to…

A letter from the manager of the the May Museum of the Tropics, Myrtle Colson, to the owner of the museum, John May. The letter details concerns that the manager was having with an employee as well as her complaints about being excluded from certain…

Six pages of the May Museum of the Tropics employee handbook. The owner of the museum, John May, created the handbook for his employees to follow in the 1960s. The table of contents on the first three pages gives insight to what is included in the…

A postcard of Weeki Wachee Springs sometime in the late 1950s. Louise Nan Steer mentions this postcard in her oral history interview because the blonde girl in the pink bathing suit in the center of the postcard is her twin sister, Lynda. The rest of…

The Geneva Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc. held a 100 year memorial on October 10, 2018, for Roderick Perry Taylor of Geneva, Florida, and the other 564 people who died on the R.M.S. Leinster when it was hit by three German torpedoes in…

A letter from John M. May, owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the manager of the museum, Myrtle Colson, dated September 27, 1958. May reassures Colson that she is doing fine, expressing remorse for the losing an employee and hope that their…

A letter from Myrtle Colson, manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated June 1, 1958. Colson tells May about the increasing sales to the museum due to efforts of the new owner of Weeki Wachee Springs, and…

A letter from John M. May, owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, to John T. Creighten, an employee of the Department of Entomology at the University fo Florida, dated November 20, 1963. replying to Mr. Creighten's interest in the museum and its…

A letter from Myrtle Colson, manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated February 25, 1959. Colson discusses a surprise audit from the owners of Weeki Wachee, The Florida Chain of Theaters. She writes that…

A letter from Myrtle Colson, manager of the May Museum of the Tropics, to the owner of the museum, John M. May, dated March 28, 1956. Myrtle writes that earlier in the day, she allowed an African-American couple to enter the museum, as he had…

A letter from the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, to the directors of the St. Petersburg Springs Co., owners of Weeki Wachee Springs, dated January 28, 1957. May discusses his concerns with management and inquires about…

Weeki Wachee Springs employee handbook for mermaids, swimmers and trainees. The first four pages detail scheduling rules, dress code and rules of conduct. Some of the rules for mermaids cover what makeup to wear in and out of the water, where to keep…

Bonnie Georgiadis assisting an archeological dig of a Native American burial mound at Weeki Wachee Springs in July of 1970. She is using archeological tools to uncover a vase. The dig was conducted by the University of Florida.
Along with a group of…

A postcard featuring the dinosaur-shaped Sinclair Gas Station in Weeki Wachee Springs. A handwritten note by Bonita Colson accompanies the postcard, describing a mobile home rental park across the street from the gas station that Weeki Wachee…

A postcard showcasing the lobby of the Mermaid Motel, which was located directly across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs. Two cars are parked under a pavilion next to the building. The back of the postcard features an add that describes the…

A postcard depicting several Weeki Wachee mermaids lounging around the pool of the local Holiday Inn with the words "Greetings From Weeki Wachee, Florida" printed on the front. The back of the postcard features an ad for the Holiday Inn that lists…

The Mermaid Villa building at Weeki Wachee Springs. Mermaids used the building to change into their costumes for their underwater performances, shower after their performances, and lounge while on break.
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry…

A raccoon and caged baboon on the river bank of the Weeki Wachee River. This river was used for Weeki Wachee Spring's Jungle Cruise attraction. This attraction would take guests down the river in a glass bottom boat, where they would observe caged…

John Hamlet, naturalist, placing his hand into a trained boar's mouth as part of an attraction at Weeki Wachee Springs.
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside…

Two mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs walking a young boar on a leash.
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along…

Rita King, mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, holding two juvenile alligators.
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops…

Ann Tanzler, wife of Jacksonville Mayor Hans G. Tanzler, putting on a diving mask with the aid of two Weeki Wachee mermaids. An accompanying press release sent out on November 22, 1971, describes the busy life of Ann Tanzler, who, on top of being a…

A Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid posing underwater with a report card. The card includes grades for bathing, ballet, breathing and boys.
Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of 1949 by Newton Perry along with a…

Bonnie Georgiadis and three other Weeki Wachee mermaids training for future performances by practicing a pose. Bonnie Georgiadis was a mermaid from 1950 to 1968. After retiring from underwater theater, she took on other responsibilities at the park,…

A trained raccoon opening a gift from an employee of Weeki Wachee Springs in the 1950s. For several years, Weeki Wachee offered a "covered wagon" ride through the forest as one of the park's attractions. Along the sides of the forest were a variety…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried…